Should I Floss Before or After Brushing?

Flossing is pretty vital for a healthy mouth. If you brush your teeth without flossing, you’ve missed more than 1/3 of your tooth surface. That’s why dentists say that flossing is easily as important as brushing.

So you know that you need to floss every day, at least once a day, but you’re not sure if you should floss before or after brushing. This question can cause heated debate among people. The before camp insists that if you floss first, your toothbrush can then whisk away all the food particles dislodged while flossing. The after camp claims that when you brush your teeth first, you can focus your flossing on any areas you might have missed.

So who’s right? Which way will you ultimately choose?

Before vs. after: the ultimate face-off

So when’s the best time to floss, before or after brushing?

The answer is pretty simple, and it’s a draw.

According to the American Dental Association (ADA), it doesn’t really matter when you floss, as long as you do so at least once a day. Your teeth are still reaping the wonderful benefits of flossing whether you’re a before brushing kind of person, or you prefer to floss after.

The ADA does mention that flossing before you brush allows the fluoride in your toothpaste to better penetrate into the spaces between your teeth. So if you don’t really care which way to go, that’s probably a good enough reason to nudge you in the direction of flossing before you brush.

Flossing is one of the most important aspects of preventative care, and Boca Sana is here to help. Call us today to set up an appointment, and we’ll help turn you into a master flosser!